Halton police warn parents about Game of 72

Halton police warn parents about Game of 72

Halton police are warning parents to talk to their children about a dangerous new “game” allegedly making the rounds on social media known as the Game of 72.

It encourages young people to disappear and stay hidden for 72 hours without contacting friends or family, said police.

The more chaos and panic the disappearance causes the more arbitrary “points” the participant receives.

The Game of 72 is being blamed for a small number of temporary disappearances in Europe, but so far, no missing person cases have been attributed to it in Canada or the U.S., according to media reports

Even so, the game had Vancouver police worried enough to issue a warning about it earlier this week.

Halton police say the social media event and the problems it could cause are worth a conversation between parents and their children.

“Kids that would do this don’t really understand the consequences of that behaviour,” said Halton police Sgt. Chantal Corner.

“I could only imagine what their parents would be going through in that 72 hours, thinking their child is legitimately missing and gone and thinking the most horrible things about what has happened to them.”

From a policing point of view, Corner said the Game of 72 is dangerous because someone being missing for 72 hours would spark a police investigation.

She said a missing person case eats up considerable police time, resources and officers and if a case turns out to be a prank, those same officers may not be available in the event a real emergency happens.

The Game of 72 could also create credibility issues for the person that practices it, said Corner.

If that person pulls such a prank and later legitimately goes missing, Corner said while police would still conduct a thorough investigation, members of the public and the media, however, may not take the disappearance seriously and provide the assistance to police, which can be crucial in such situations.

Corner noted young people, not in the custody of their parents, face any number of unanticipated dangers.

Police emphasized the recent missing teen cases in Oakville were not prompted by the Game of 72 and that no such connection has appeared with any missing person case in Halton.

Corner is advising parents to let their children know this game is out there and to talk to them about what the consequences of disappearing for 72 hours could be for themselves, their parents, the police and community.

(7) Comment

I taught my kid he doesn't understand the rules of the game. It's not 72 hours, it's 72 days. He's not so anxious to play anymore.

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By Fiona|MAY 13, 2015 11:11 AM

@Natalie - absolutely. Everything. Gone.

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By Natalie|MAY 13, 2015 11:06 AM

@Fiona ... you can add to that television, video games, social time, allowance, etc. etc. A loss of all privileges for 30 days would seem fairly appropriate. Then they can see what it's really like to be cut off from the outside world - as they would have been trying to achieve in their 72 hour time in "hiding".

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By Fiona|MAY 12, 2015 02:28 PM

That would be the end to my daughter's cell phone and access to the wireless.